10 Style Hacks to Enhance Your Work Wardrobe

Image via Complex Original

Sometimes a tie can make or break the desired aesthetic that you are trying to achieve with your wardrobe. But how many times is your tie alone going to tszuj it up to your liking? Toss in a funky or makeshift tie clip to add just enough of a coolness factor back into your outfit.

You never know when the boss hog is going to stroll into your office and want to meet because you’ve showcased “spunk” or “initiative” or one of those other buzzwords big bosses like to use. You probably won't be able to plan for it, but by keeping a navy blue or tan sport coat that can virtually go with anything in your office at all times, you will always be prepared.

There may not be anything more annoying and uncool than when your shirt comes untucked, making you look like a slob. There are countless ways to try and keep everything in place, but one way that is proven to help is to have rubber grips sewn into the waistband of your pants. If your pants fit nice and snug, then it will help prevent your shirt from coming out every time you lift your arms up.

If you can afford a nice suit for every occasion under the sun, then maybe you don’t need style hack advice after all. But if you’re like the other 99 percent of us, you’ll want to make an investment that is versatile. By buying a mid-weight wool suit, you gain a perfectly suitable four-season suit that can handle scorching summer days and easily adapt to the coldest of colds with a few layers tucked underneath.

Stains are basically unavoidable because you are a closet slob. You’ve done a good job of hiding it thus far, and a stain-removing pen will help you keep your dirty little secret. The essential little accesory does a great job of getting rid of pesky little marks that you know your co-workers are staring at whenever they look at you.

Even when you're in the store physically trying things on, it’s difficult to really know what you're getting. There are a lot of things to consider when trying on shirting—especially dress shirts—and simply standing up in a dressing room won't quite cut it. When going for a slim-fitting shirt, try sitting down with the shirt buttoned up to your liking. This is the best way to see how it will sit on your body as you slump down, expanding the width of your upper body (as in, make yourself fatter). If the buttons are pulling, then the shirt isn’t right for you, brother.

You are a shaker and a mover. You’re climbing the corporate ladder and garnering the respect of upper management. But a lot of that shaking and moving is done while sitting, and is thus wrinkling all of your clothes, which won't help keep you moving up the ranks. Keep a bottle of store-bought or homemade wrinkle remover spray at your desk for those times when you look like you've put yourself through the office shredder.

Your brown suede shoes are one of your most prized possessions, and they’re usually the highlight of your work wardrobe, no matter what color you wear them with. The worst color to wear them with, however, is “dirt." As in the big dirt spot on the toe that you obtained while taking that stroll during lunch. You don’t want to use soap and water to rub it out in fear of permanently ruining them. Instead, try a plain, uncolored nail file to rub out the stains while maintaining the natural grain of the suede.

Who says that you always have to be conservative with your button-down shirts? You don’t have to go H.A.M. and cut off the sleeves or add spikes to the shoulders, but you could try on some subtle swag by replacing those regular, monotone buttons on the placket with mismatched ones. You could even keep the top buttons off and replace them with colored enamel safety pins for a whole new customized look that most of your coworkers wouldn’t expect.

Look, you know as well as anyone that there is only so much that you can accomplish, style-wise, during the week while going through the doldrums of Corporate America. So why not go for gold on Casual Friday? This is really a chance for everyone to see how stylish you are when you aren’t putting fire-ass presentations together or sucking up to your boss while talking crap about them behind their back. Don’t feel like you need to hold back unless there are super-strict dress code rules for that one special day of the week. Because, if that's the case, we advise you to get the hell out of there.